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Mathisen goes yard, River Cats drop 5th straight

Aviators 6, River Cats 4
Sacramento third baseman Wyatt Mathisen tracks a grounder against Salt Lake on Sept. 4. (Ralph Thompson Photo)
September 17, 2021

West Sacramento, Calif. — The Sacramento River Cats (48-64) were out-slugged by left fielder Carlos Perez and the Las Vegas Aviators (61-54) on Thursday night, dropping the series-opener. Perez, who leads Triple-A West with 29 home runs, went 2-for-4 with a double, homer, and four RBIs. One mistake pitch from

West Sacramento, Calif. — The Sacramento River Cats (48-64) were out-slugged by left fielder Carlos Perez and the Las Vegas Aviators (61-54) on Thursday night, dropping the series-opener.

Perez, who leads Triple-A West with 29 home runs, went 2-for-4 with a double, homer, and four RBIs.

One mistake pitch from lefty Scott Kazmir (3-3) proved to be the veteran’s downfall. With one on and two outs in the third, Perez launched the first pitch he saw over the left field wall for the game’s first two runs.

Kazmir surrendered an additional run in the fourth, but was able to throw another 2.0 scoreless innings, finishing the day with three earned runs on five hits and zero walks while tying his season-high six strikeouts.

He was relieved by right-hander Reyes Moronta, who struggled with command, allowing two walks, a single, and a sacrifice fly before Perez’ two-run double.

Sacramento got on the board in the fourth when shortstop Mauricio Dubón doubled, took third on a fly out, and scored on a ground out by center fielder Heliot Ramos.

The River Cats made things interesting late, scoring three runs in the eighth on third baseman Wyatt Mathisen’s 409-foot home run to make it 6-4, and putting the tying run on first with two outs for first baseman Jason Vosler in the ninth.

Vosler squared up the ball, lining it to right, but right fielder Luis Barrera was positioned perfectly to catch the final out.

Right-hander Logan Ondrusek (0-1, 4.28) looks to break the River Cats’ five game skid, taking on righty Brady Feigl (1-0, 4.40) at 7:05 p.m. (PT) on Orange Friday. Listen to Johnny Doskow call the game live online at rivercats.com or on the MiLB First Pitch app.

Additional Notes

  • Right-handers Yunior Marte (1.1 innings and two strikeouts) and Trevor Gott (one strikeout in an inning) combined to shut down the Aviators to set up the potential comeback.
  • Mathisen finished the day 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. He is batting .267 with four home runs in 14 games for Sacramento.